A former Farmers Branch police officer was convicted of murder Tuesday for chasing and killing a teenager he caught breaking into his SUV.

Ken Johnson, 37, was also convicted of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for seriously wounding another teen in the March 2016 incident.

Johnson, who had been free on bond, was taken into custody after the verdict was read. He faces up to life in prison, and court records show he plans to ask for probation. The sentencing trial will begin Jan. 8.

Ken Johnson

(Collin County Jail)

Johnson was off duty and in plain clothes on March 13, 2016, when he saw two teenagers breaking into the Chevrolet Tahoe at his Farmers Branch apartment complex.

The teens took off in a car, and Johnson pursued them in his SUV.

He rammed their car off the road at Spring Valley Road and Marsh Lane, hopped out of his Tahoe as it rolled into oncoming traffic and shot 16 times into the teens' car.

Jose Cruz, 16, was struck in the head and died at the scene.

Edgar Rodriguez, who was also 16 at the time, was wounded in the head but survived. He also lost a finger, and his ear had to be reconstructed.

One bullet lodged in Rodriguez's cellphone, which he thinks saved his life.

Relatives in the Dallas courtroom embraced Dallas County prosecutor Jason Hermus and District Attorney Faith Johnson after the verdict was read.

Many of the family members were in tears as they left the courtroom. They couldn't comment on the verdict because the sentencing hearing was still pending.

Jurors had started deliberations Monday afternoon and resumed Tuesday morning.

Investigators said Johnson shot at the car before opening the driver's door and firing inside. Hermus called it a "roadside execution."

"His desire to kill was so great that he opens the door," Hermus argued Monday.

Defense attorneys Robert Rogers and Tim Menchu said the shooting was in self-defense because Johnson saw Cruz reaching down after the crash and believed the teenager had a weapon.

The teens were unarmed.

Jose Cruz was shot and killed in March 2016.

Convictions of police officers are rare, but indictments have been increasing.

In Dallas County, six officers have been indicted on criminal charges this year for on-duty actions.

Two former Dallas-area police officers have been given probation this year as part of plea deals. One killed a man after a police chase, and the other shot and wounded a mentally ill man.

Johnson resigned from the Farmers Branch Police Department weeks after the shooting.

The police chief said Johnson had violated department policies when he chased the teens and rammed them with his personal vehicle.

Rodriguez testified at the beginning of the nearly six-day trial. He admitted to stealing third-row seats from Johnson's Tahoe and said the teens hadn't known Johnson was following them until he rammed Cruz's Dodge Challenger.

Johnson was serving as the courtesy officer at his apartment complex when he saw Rodriguez breaking into his Tahoe. He told investigators that Cruz's red Challenger matched the description of a car connected to several other burglaries. Rogers said it was "instinct" that pushed Johnson to pursue the teens while off duty.

Johnson said he shouted at the car, "Police! Show me your hands!" But witnesses at a gas station near the crash site contradicted that claim.

One woman yelled at Johnson to stop shooting.

"Man, I'm tired of this! They stole my stuff!" the woman said he shouted back at her.

Jurors were asked to consider what they would have done if they had been in Johnson's position that day. A "reasonable person would not have done what he did," Hermus argued.

Johnson did not grab his police badge or cellphone when he left his apartment to confront the teens.

"Ken Johnson was in a rage," Hermus said. "And how do we know that? Because he decides only to grab his gun. He commits himself to the outcome."